Please welcome in the new year with Lizzie Lamb and her writing caves. You can always tell an ex-teacher – they’re always so organised! Over to you, Lizzie:

Back in the day my husband bought a ‘secret caravan’ off eBay for £300 because he was not sure I would take to the life. Talk about ‘ducks to water.’ We are now on caravan #5 (a Bailey Cartagena) which is 25 feet long, has a dedicated bathroom and a fixed double bed. A real home from home. Caravanning is ideal because we can combine research, writing away-from-home and having a fun time.

At home, I have a study overlooking the garden. I have had a writing room/study since we married in 1973 and, occasionally, I allow my husband to enter, but he must knock first and wait for me to say: ‘Ye-es?’ before entering. Just kidding. To be fair, he brings me coffee and biscuits to fuel my writing or, in the winter, a stiff gin and tonic and cashews nuts. Spoiled? Most definitely. But he knows that when I am writing I’ll leave him alone to get on with his ‘projects’.

When we are at the caravan I write at the pull out ‘card table’ or at a big table in the awning. The caravan is fully equipped, but I do not travel light . . . I take my iPhone (natch) printer/scanner, dongle, MacBook Air, packs of paper etc. I have commandeered one of the drawers at the front of the caravan as a dedicated ‘stationery drawer’ full of pens, notebooks, spare ink cartridges etc. I also keep my planning notes in there (made from a recycled Amazon folder). However, I find writing notes by hand takes too long and I easily lose the thread, so I do most of my planning on the MacBook. I don’t take many reference books along with me, instead I keep all the information in a bookmarked folder on my pc. Backed up every day on Dropbox et al. I usually print out the relevant sections and take those with me for reference. I prefer to write the novel proper while I’m away and research is filed away for when we get home. Then I ‘colour in’ what I’ve written/make changes.

We have a television, Blu-ray DVD player, stock of movies and an Amazon Firestick. That way, when I run out of inspiration, I can watch a favourite movie, zone out and give my imagination free rein. As I said above, I do not take copious notes with me, but two things are essential – a timeline and a cheap calendar. I use these to mark what happens when/where in my WIP. I know (roughly) how the novel ends and put little ‘pegs’ on the timeline to get me there. Each section of the timeline becomes a chapter. If inspiration or a new idea strikes, I glue post-it notes to the relevant section of the planner to remind me to add that information when I come to it. 

Friend and fellow writer Adrienne Vaughan refers to this as my ‘Primary School Planner. Once a teacher . . .  right?

All my photos are stored in the cloud for when I need them. I don’t write outside the caravan, unless it’s in the awning, because I find the light bothersome. When in the caravan I write with the blinds behind me drawn, as I find it easier on my eyes. Mostly I beaver away in the semi-darkness wearing a peaked cap to further shade my eyes. I have dedicated ‘computer glasses’ with a blue-light coating, I also use a screen filter on the MacBook, so my eyes don’t get tired.  

Usually, we explore the location where my books are set every day. I particularly love Wester Ross and last summer we visited Inverewe Gardens which set me off thinking about/planning number nine. Readers tell me that they love my depiction of Scotland but I am careful not to let purple pose or descriptions of scenery get in the way of the romance.

In case you’re wondering what my husband Dave does while I’m writing, it’s simple. He lies on the double bed and watches DVDs (wearing headphones) or surfs the net on his iPad. He can shut the bedroom off from the front of the caravan via a sliding screen, so we do not distract each other. In fact, I am pleased that he can have down time as he works so hard towing the caravan and setting it up etc.

Some days I do not write a word, but I’m always thinking about my novel when I’m not at the pc.

Sometimes, we will stumble upon a part of Scotland which is unfamiliar to us and take masses of photos for research and planning. For example, after discovering Castle Stalker on Loch Linnhe and booked a tour,Girl in the Castle was born. Several summers ago, we returned to the castle and presented the owner with a signed copy of the book and my heartfelt thanks. One of my favourite spots in Scotland is Plockton and a visit inspired Harper’s Highland Fling – a ‘road trip to romance’, featuring a slightly older hero and heroine. I was able to draw upon my experience as a teacher when I created the heroine, a primary school headteacher who discovers that her niece has run away to Scotland – where else – with a boy who lives in the same village. 

I could do most of this research via Google Earth, But where is the fun in that? Visiting a place several times means that I can write about it with some authority.

We celebrated our Golden Wedding in August 2023 and spent five weeks exploring that beautiful country from Edinburgh or Inverness. That has inspired my next novel – but first, I have a sequel to Dark Highland Skies to write in answer to all the emails I’ve received from readers wanting to know more of Tor and Halley’s story. We won’t be going to Scotland this year but the mobile office will be on the road after the winter’s over – first stop Bristol and the open air lido and restaurant for a bit of therapy to compliment the writing.

Wow Lizzie, I think you’ve got it all sorted!

If you want to find out more about Lizzie and her books (and who wouldn’t?) here are the linky things:

Author bio: After thirty-four years as a primary school teacher, Lizzie decided it was time to find out if she had what it took to become a published author. Leaving the chalk face behind, she joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association where a famous author encouraged her to write from the heart and not focus too overtly on what she ‘believed’ agents and publishers were looking for. Lizzie then formed New Romantics press with three other members of the RNA’s New Writers’ Scheme and chose the self-publishing route. It was the best decision she ever made. She finished Tall, Dark and Kilted and published it in 2012 and since then has published Boot Camp Bride, Scotch on the Rocks, Girl in the Castle, Take Me, I’m Yours and Harper’s Highland Fling and Dark Highland Skies which echoes her love of her homeland in every page. The highlight of 2023 for Lizzie was being named Indie Champion of the Year 2023 by the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

Lizzie’s Links for Bloggers etc

Amazon

Twitter

Threads

Instagram

Website

Pinterest

Newsletter

LINKS TO NOVELS – 

Dark Highland Skies – https://mybook.to/DarkHighlandSkies

Harper’s Highland Fling – https://mybook.to/HarpersHighlandFling

Girl in the Castle – https://mybook.to/GirlintheCastle

Scotch on the Rocks – https://mybook.to/ScotchontheRocks

Tall, Dark and Kilted – https://mybook.to/TallDarkandKilted1

Take Me, I’m Yours – https://mybook.to/TakeMeImYrs

Boot Camp Bride – https://mybook.to/BootCampBride

http://viewauthor.at/LizzieLamb – Amazon page 

http://www.lizzielamb.co.uk – website and blog 

https://uk.pinterest.com/lizzielamb -Pinterest

https://www.instagram.com/lizzielambwriter – Instagram  

https://twitter.com/lizzie_lamb – Twitter/X  

https://www.threads.net/@lizzielambwriter – Threads

http://tinyurl.com/ELNL-2016  – News letter

QR Code to Amazon Author Page

Thank you so much for coming on and sharing your gorgeous writing caves. May they give you much inspiration in 2024!